In U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,050 an array of submicron antennae and rectifying elements is disclosed to convert light to electric power. In the parent application Ser. No. 637,405 a submicron quantum well-step antenna and asymmetric tunnel junction configuration is disclosed which is formed as a layer on a flat (glass) surface. To manufacture this device requires a special submicron production facility using techniques previously described; the most advanced in the state of the art. The structures are precisely designed and reproduced on a submicron scale by a planular process..sup.1,2
One embodiment of this invention is derived from earlier work on the manufacture of polymeric light responsive polarizing structures in which oriented conducting strings of a polyiodide I--I--I--I are held in a clathrate crystal (Herapathite), or in a stretch oriented sheet of a polyvinyl compound (polyvinyl alcohol or butyral). Other similar oriented polymeric structures are known to polarize light; for example C.dbd.C--C.dbd.C--; a polyene. Polarizing sheets are now articles commercially manufactured by a bulk process at low cost by a large scale special film casting machine, the basic cost being about $1 per m.sup.2 (1984 dollars). The present invention utilizes a similar bulk process. The casting composition.sup.3 is modified to employ the special heteropolymer of this invention made on a similar casting machine.sup.4. The cost should be comparable. The extra cost of electroding and laminating will add only a few dollars per m.sup.2 so the total should be about $5/m.sup.2 (500 w), about 50.cent./sq. ft. The efficiency will remain in the 60-80% range. Thus solar energy will become available everywhere at about 1.cent./watt; or, an investment cost of $10/KW.
An embodiment of this invention utilizes metal dipolar particles. The bulk manufacture of metal dipole particles has been described..sup.5.1 The dipolar metal particles may be oriented in a fluid medium which is solidified to fix the oriented dipoles.sup.5.2, and electroordered into strings of conducting particles.sup.6.
In another embodiment of this invention dipolar molecules are used instead of metal dipoles. These molecules may be similar to those naturally occuring in photosynthetic plant structures, .sup.7.1,7.2,8.3 such as the recently reported synthetic compound,.sup.9 which may be utilized herein. Recently, piezoelectric films have become available commercially which generate D.C. electric voltages when subjected to shear and such polymers may be modified for the purpose of this invention..sup.10